Elderflower – Botanical Profile

Black Elder

Sambucus nigra L.,

Family: Caprifoliaceae

Distribution and Habitat

Native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa; naturalized in many temperate regions. Grows in hedgerows, forest margins, riverbanks, and disturbed areas.

The name “black elder” comes from the plant’s characteristic dark (almost black) berries, which distinguish it from other types of elder. The word “elder” is believed to originate from the Old English ældre, which in turn comes from a root meaning “fire” or “kindle,” possibly referring to the hollow stems that were once used to blow air into fires.

Botanical and Morphological Description

A deciduous shrub or small tree valued for its flowers  (Sambuci flos) and fruits (Sambuci fructus).

• Root: Woody root system with spreading lateral roots.
• Stem: Woody, erect, branched; bark gray-brown with characteristic lenticels; pith white and soft.
• Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound with 5–7 ovate-lanceolate leaflets; margins serrated; unpleasant odor when crushed.
• Flower Small, creamy-white, actinomorphic, with 5 petals, 5 stamens, inferior ovary. The flowers are arranged in large, flat-topped compound umbels, with a diameter of 12–20 cm.
• Fruit: Glossy black to dark purple drupe.
• Seeds: Usually 2–5 small, hard seeds per fruit.

Key Identification Features: Large flat umbels of fragrant white flowers, lack-purple berry-like drupes, pinnate compound leaves with serrated leaflets, soft white pith inside stems.